Does bait colour matter?

[sagalout]

It's wet and horrible down here on the sunny english riviera so since some bloke told me yesterday that fish have no colour vision but I always think red maggots and yellow sweetcorn are good baits I thought a little bit of research was in order.

Wikkipedia states "most fish species have colour vision" and "characteristic colors are, from low to high frequency: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, violet"

So what end or is it the middle of the colour spectrum is best for fish? Does it depend on available light? Are Nash onto something with their purple boilies? If all colours are visible does it matter?

 

[nicepix]

It's always going to be difficult if not impossible to say whether it is the colour or another factor such as flavour that makes a difference.

For example I was once fishing at Worsborough Reservoir on a cold still winter's day when chances of anything were slim. I hadn't had a bite for a couple of hours when I noticed that there was a red maggot in my 2 pints of whites. On it went and I had a bite almost immediately. I dug two more red maggots out and ended up with three roach, all taken on the red maggots in a short space of time and didn't have any more bites after that.

Now it might have been that a shoal was passing through at that time - coincidence. Or whatever was used to colour the red maggots attracted the taste buds of the roach. In truth I will never know.

When fly-fishing or lure fishing though there are times when colour is the only factor that makes a difference between catching or not. So I'll admit that colour does have an effect on catch rates, it is just that we also have to consider whether any other factor also influences the outcome rather than jump to a conclusion.

 

[Chris Hammond ( RSPB ACA PAC}]

I've no science to back it up but I'm convinced that fish very much can see colour and react to it. For a start you only have to look at how some species develop intense colouration during the breeding period. Also I've lost count of how many times I've had perch in particular strike at red or orange floats on the surface. I've seen pike do the same with coke cans and crisp packets.

I suspect the red/orange part of the colour spectrum is the most important to fish.

I know it is often written that colour disappears at certain depths, but I suspect that has more to do with the way humans see as opposed to fish.

 

[daji]

I've no science to back it up but I'm convinced that fish very much can see colour and react to it. For a start you only have to look at how some species develop intense colouration during the breeding period. Also I've lost count of how many times I've had perch in particular strike at red or orange floats on the surface. I've seen pike do the same with coke cans and crisp packets.

I suspect the red/orange part of the colour spectrum is the most important to fish.

I know it is often written that colour disappears at certain depths, but I suspect that has more to do with the way humans see as opposed to fish.

kind of opens up another question. how well do fish see in the dark? if not particularly well i would imagine white maggots would be more successful in deeper water than reds due to contrast.

 

[Tee-Cee]

As with other posters (and I have nothing to back this up with) I think red is a significant colour for fish from my experiences. Sweetcorn dyed red has produced instant results after fishing yellow for a long period of time and not just the odd fish....
I also agree with the red maggot thing which has produced for me when all else has failed particularly with tench in Spring for some reason. Even tried one red with one white mag or two red with one white and nothing doing. Back to two/three red and action almost immediate.
However, it doesn't work all the time unfortunately BUT fishing reds without a touch then changing to whites hasn't either............

Back in he 70's I used a red Rod Hutchinson paste for tench and that was very, very successful (for a time!)



Anyway, enough of this idle chatter, I've got Tares to cook (before the wife rises)........no, not red but just as they come!!

 

[barbelboi]

I prefer to generally use baits at the long wavelength (red) end of the spectrum. Water absorbs different wavelengths of light to different degrees. The longest wavelengths, with the lowest energy, are absorbed first. Red is the first to be absorbed, followed by orange & yellow. The colours 'disappear' underwater in the same order as they appear in the colour spectrum. Even water at 5ft depth will have a noticeable loss of red, obviously the remaining colours would loose colour in sequence at slightly greater depths. To our vision red becomes grey at approximately 15’ and at about 50’ becomes black/dark brownish with flouressant colours retaining their colour in deep water. How fish see these colours is another matter.
Jerry

 

[pidgergj]

I prefer to generally use baits at the long wavelength (red) end of the spectrum. Water absorbs different wavelengths of light to different degrees. The longest wavelengths, with the lowest energy, are absorbed first. Red is the first to be absorbed, followed by orange & yellow. The colours 'disappear' underwater in the same order as they appear in the colour spectrum. Even water at 5ft depth will have a noticeable loss of red, obviously the remaining colours would loose colour in sequence at slightly greater depths. To our vision red becomes grey at approximately 15’ and at about 50’ becomes black/dark brownish with flouressant colours retaining their colour in deep water. How fish see these colours is another matter.
Jerry

very interesting post jerry, maybe flouro baits are the way to go? i have caught a lot of fish on 6mm flouro pink boilies, but not as many with flouro yellow. coincidence maybe, but maybe not.

 

[laguna]

Jerry is quite correct. The most successful colours are in sequence, accordingly; red being the 'easiest' for fish to see in shallow lakes and rivers. Over a depth of 70ft or so even white will appear black.

Ever identified a blue car on a dark night only to realise it is actually red during daylight hours?

Same with blood which is blue too... lots of 'sciency' stuff if your that way inclined!

 

[chav professor]

I am pretty certain, white is a superb color as it stands out so well. its weird really, white is not a common color in the natural world and must look alien on the river bed.

 

[chefster]

Fish can definitely see colour,otherwise certain colour baits ,would not catch more than others...i,ve been fishing the baggin wag,and gone through all the colour boilies and not had a bite,yet put a white one on and it got nailed every time,changed back to see if coincidence and no bites,gone back to white and nailed again....Certain colour groundbaits work better on certain venues,and i,m not just talking about matching to the lake bed.....Different shades of pellet can also make a subtle difference...Chef

 

[S-Kippy]

Colour definately does make a difference but damned if I know why. When both coarse and trout fishing I've experienced fish picking a particular colour over others and the "banker" has to be red. That said I agree with Christian that white stands out so well that they just have to at least go have a look. Is it the colour or is it the bait ? Who knows.

 

[chefster]

A perfect example , in winter 1 single 6mm piece of punch popped up on a straight lead,in the middle of nowhere,seems to work,when nothing else will.....

 

[David Dalton]

I too think that colour sometimes makes a difference. I've noticed that when fishing two maggots on the hook, one red and one white, the red one is invariably chewed or damaged much more than the white one.

There may be instances though when a bright colour may cause a bait to "blow" sooner than a duller coloured one. The fish learn to associate a bright colour with danger, and after initally having been attracted to it, when caught a few times they start to avoid it. I believe that this was a problem with sweetcorn back in the days when it was more frequently used than now.

 

[chav professor]

Evolution is pretty economical. I wonder if its a bit like watching snooker on a black and white T.V.... once you got into a match, tone and shade allowed you to follow the flow of the game. Does fish vision need to be that complex?

But red.... the color fabled to be invisible (matt hayes and his red line... what was he thinkingmg. Could it be that red works well for moving baits (lure, fly or maggot) - being that it is very visible in water - the first color to 'disappear' hence appearing very dark. White being suitable for static baits resting on the river bed.

I wonder if red line is not that detrimental for the majority of fishing circumstances... if a fish can at least see it, its going to expect to come into contact with it. In contrast, bumping, or feeling something it didn't sense was there otherwise? who knows....

 

[Chris Hammond ( RSPB ACA PAC}]

I prefer to generally use baits at the long wavelength (red) end of the spectrum. Water absorbs different wavelengths of light to different degrees. The longest wavelengths, with the lowest energy, are absorbed first. Red is the first to be absorbed, followed by orange & yellow. The colours 'disappear' underwater in the same order as they appear in the colour spectrum. Even water at 5ft depth will have a noticeable loss of red, obviously the remaining colours would loose colour in sequence at slightly greater depths. To our vision red becomes grey at approximately 15’ and at about 50’ becomes black/dark brownish with flouressant colours retaining their colour in deep water. How fish see these colours is another matter.
Jerry

Do fish see colour underwater in the same way humans do Jerry? Only I wonder if perhaps although colour disappears to the human eye at those depths maybe it doesn't to fish?

---------- Post added at 16:47 ---------- Previous post was at 16:47 ----------

kind of opens up another question. how well do fish see in the dark? if not particularly well i would imagine white maggots would be more successful in deeper water than reds due to contrast.

No idea mate tbh.

 

[nicepix]

White could be associated with bread. I used to fish a trout lake where in all but one corner of the lake normal flies were used to good effect yet in that corner white flies would out fish any others. That corner was where the kids used to feed the ducks.

I think that sometimes coloured baits such as red sweetcorn or maggots breaks the fish's association with naturally coloured baits that they have become wary of. They accept the died bait as it is not regarded as being the same as the natural one they have become wary of. Then everybody uses that coloured bait and the fish become wary of it. And the cycle goes on.

I know a guy who will not fish cubes or cylinders of luncheon meat as he believes that the barbel on his river have become wary of them. He picks away at the cube until it becomes raggy and shapeless. That is the same as dying a bait to disguise it as it breaks the association with danger.

 

[Chris Hammond ( RSPB ACA PAC}]

White could be associated with bread. I used to fish a trout lake where in all but one corner of the lake normal flies were used to good effect yet in that corner white flies would out fish any others. That corner was where the kids used to feed the ducks.

I think that sometimes coloured baits such as red sweetcorn or maggots breaks the fish's association with naturally coloured baits that they have become wary of. They accept the died bait as it is not regarded as being the same as the natural one they have become wary of. Then everybody uses that coloured bait and the fish become wary of it. And the cycle goes on.

I know a guy who will not fish cubes or cylinders of luncheon meat as he believes that the barbel on his river have become wary of them. He picks away at the cube until it becomes raggy and shapeless. That is the same as dying a bait to disguise it as it breaks the association with danger.

I've been doing that as a matter of course since the first time I used luncheon meat for carp back in the early eighties. It just makes plain common sense to me, though perhaps means less to the fish.

It also exposes far more of the meat's surface area to the water and I would imagine makes for a greater scent trail.

 

[barbelboi]

Do fish see colour underwater in the same way humans do Jerry? Only I wonder if perhaps although colour disappears to the human eye at those depths maybe it doesn't to fish?

---------- Post added at 16:47 ---------- Previous post was at 16:47 ----------

Chris, I wouldn't even try to guess whether fish can see colours. I know how we see them under water from many years of scuba diving - maybe they see colours as various shades and recognise them as such, ooops I've tried to guess......................:wh

 

[Chris Hammond ( RSPB ACA PAC}]

Chris, I wouldn't even try to guess whether fish can see colours. I know how we see them under water from many years of scuba diving - maybe they see colours as various shades and recognise them as such, ooops I've tried to guess......................:wh

Like so many other things angling related Jerry I don't think we can help ourselves from applying anthropomorphic logic to their behaviour.

 

[jacksharp]

If you look at the video I linked a while ago, called underwater feeder fishing, various colour boilies are used with a cage feeder for bream and yellow came out top.